A method for compensating hardware misalignments in a camera is presented. The camera includes a maneuverable part and a fixed part, and the maneuverable part is controlled by a steering motor system. In a first step of the method mechanical coordinates from the steering motor system is received, wherein the mechanical coordinates correspond to a pan and tilt position, the pan and tilt position having a complementary pan and tilt position. Next, pre-determined calibration data corresponding to the received mechanical coordinates is read from a memory wherein the pre-determined calibration data describes a relationship between a pan and tilt position and a complementary pan and tilt position, and then compensated coordinates are determined based upon the received mechanical coordinates and the pre-determined calibration data.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method for compensating hardware misalignments in a camera comprising a maneuverable part and a fixed part, wherein said maneuverable part is controlled by a steering motor system and comprises a camera block, said method comprising: receiving mechanical coordinates from said steering motor system, wherein said mechanical coordinates correspond to a pan and tilt position, said pan and tilt position having a complementary pan and tilt position, wherein the complementary pan and tilt position is a position that is reached by the steering motor system rotating the maneuverable part 180 degrees around a pan axis and rotating the camera block an angle corresponding to −2T u −180 degrees around a tilt axis, wherein T u is in the range of 0 to −90 degrees and T u is the tilt coordinate of the mechanical coordinates; reading pre-determined calibration data corresponding to said received mechanical coordinates from a memory comprised in said camera, wherein said pre-determined calibration data comprises a horizontal compensation component and a vertical compensation component, wherein said compensation components represent the difference between the mechanical coordinates of the pan and tilt position and the mechanical coordinates of an intermediate position, which is between the pan and tilt position and the complementary pan and tilt position; and determining compensated coordinates based upon said received mechanical coordinates and said pre-determined calibration data.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said maneuverable part comprises a zooming optical system, said method further comprises: receiving at least one zoom position of said zooming optical system; reading pre-determined calibration data corresponding to said at least one zoom position from said memory; and determining compensated coordinates based upon said received at least one zoom position and said pre-determined calibration data.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said method further comprises: transmitting said compensated coordinates from said camera to a user interface apparatus; and presenting said compensated coordinates on said user interface apparatus.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said method further comprises: transmitting image data to an image handling device; transmitting said compensated coordinates to said image data handling device; and processing said image data and said compensated coordinates in said image data handling device.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said method further comprises: receiving camera target coordinates; reading pre-determined calibration data corresponding to said received camera target coordinates from said memory comprised in said camera; determining camera target mechanical coordinates based upon said received camera target coordinates and said pre-determined calibration data; and moving said maneuverable part of said camera in accordance to said determined camera target mechanical coordinates.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a pan range of said maneuverable part is equal or greater than 180° thereby enabling said maneuverable part to reach at least one view by using a plurality of different mechanical coordinates, wherein said pre-determined calibration data comprises a combination of a set of said plurality of different mechanical coordinates.
7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein said plurality of different mechanical coordinates comprises a set of upright mechanical coordinates and a set of flipped mechanical coordinates.
8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein said pre-determined calibration data comprises at least one difference value determined by subtracting one of said different mechanical coordinates by a theoretic value.
9. The method according to claim 6 , wherein said pre-determined calibration data comprises an intermediate position of said set of said plurality of different mechanical coordinates.
10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said hardware misalignments are caused by rotation around at least one axis in the group of a pan axis and a tilt axis.
11. A camera comprising: a maneuverable part comprising an optical system and a camera block, a fixed part, a steering motor system arranged to control said maneuverable part, a memory arranged to hold pre-determined calibration data, a processor configured to receive mechanical coordinates from said steering motor system, wherein said mechanical coordinates correspond to a pan and tilt position, said pan and tilt position having a complementary pan and tilt position, wherein the complementary pan and tilt position is a position that is reached by the steering motor system rotating the maneuverable part 180 degrees around a pan axis and rotating the camera block an angle corresponding to −2T u −180 degrees around a tilt axis wherein T u is in the range of 0 to −90 degrees and T u is the tilt coordinate of the mechanical coordinates, to read pre-determined calibration data from said memory, wherein said pre-determined calibration data comprises a horizontal compensation component and a vertical compensation component, said compensation components representing the difference between the mechanical coordinates of the pan and tilt position and the mechanical coordinates of an intermediate position, which is between the pan and tilt position and the complementary pand and tilt position, and to determine compensated coordinates based upon said mechanical coordinates and said pre-determined calibration data.
12. The camera according to claim 11 , wherein said optical system of said maneuverable part comprises a zooming optical system, and said processor is further configured to receive at least one zoom position from said zooming optical system, and to determine compensated coordinates based upon said at least one received zoom position and said pre-determined calibration data.
13. The camera according to claim 11 , further comprising a transmitter adapted to transmit said compensated coordinates from said camera to a user interface apparatus.
14. The camera according to claim 13 , wherein said transmitter is further adapted to transmit image data and said compensated coordinates to an image handling device.
15. The camera according to claim 11 , wherein said processor is further configured to receive camera target coordinates, to read pre-determined calibration data corresponding to said received camera target coordinates from said memory comprised in said camera, and to determine camera target mechanical coordinates based upon said received camera target coordinates and said pre-determined calibration data, and wherein said steering motor system is configured to move said maneuverable part of said camera in accordance to said determined camera target mechanical coordinates.
16. The camera according to claim 11 , wherein a pan range of said maneuverable part is equal to or greater than 180° thereby enabling said maneuverable part to reach at least one field of view by using a plurality of different mechanical coordinates, wherein said pre-determined calibration data comprises a combination of a set of said plurality of different mechanical coordinates.
17. The camera according to claim 16 , wherein a tilt range of said maneuverable part of said camera includes said pan axis.
18. The camera according to claim 16 , wherein said plurality of different mechanical coordinates comprises a set of upright mechanical coordinates and a set of flipped mechanical coordinates.
19. The camera according to claim 16 , wherein said pre-determined calibration data comprises at least one difference value determined by subtracting one of said different mechanical coordinates by a theoretic value.
20. The camera according to claim 16 , wherein said pre-determined calibration data comprises an intermediate position of said set of said plurality of different mechanical coordinates.
21. A system comprising: a data network; a user interface apparatus connected to said data network; and at least one camera according to claim 11 .
22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions for causing a computer to execute a method comprising: receiving mechanical coordinates from a steering motor system, wherein said mechanical coordinates correspond to a pan and tilt position, said pan and tilt position having a complementary pan and tilt position, wherein the complementary pan and tilt position is a position that is reached by the steering motor system rotating the maneuverable part 180 degrees around a pan axis and rotating a camera block an angle corresponding to −2T u −180 degrees around a tilt axis, wherein T u is in the range of 0 to −90 degrees and T u is the tilt coordinate of the mechanical coordinates; reading pre-determined calibration data corresponding to said received mechanical coordinates from a memory, wherein said pre-determined calibration data comprises a horizontal compensation component and a vertical compensation component; wherein said compensation components represent the difference between the mechanical coordinates of the pan and tilt position and the mechanical coordinates of an intermediate position, which is between the pan and tilt position and the complementary pan and tilt position; and determining compensated coordinates based upon said received mechanical coordinates and said pre-determined calibration data.
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February 12, 2008
March 26, 2013
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